TV Watchlist: Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder Team Up, 'Godzilla' Stomps Around Apple

Plus the final season of "The Crown," a new murder mystery on FX and a prestige drama on Netflix Week of November 11– 17 This is a big week for streaming. How big? Like Godzilla big, as the famous movie monster hits the small screen in live-action (for the first time ever!) with “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” a massive new series from Legendary and Apple TV+. But that’s not all, as we’ve got biographies in movie (“Rustin,” which charts the life of a pioneering Civil Rights leader), streaming series (as the last season of “The Crown” begins) and documentary (“Albert Brooks: Defending My Life”) forms. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s a new show starring Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone (“The Curse”), a cutting edge whodunnit (“A Murder at the End of the World”) and the return of Scott Pilgrim (“Scott Pilgrim Takes Off”). Like we said: big. On with the television! Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Friday, November 17, Apple TV+ Source: Apple TV+ Godzilla has stomped across cities and fought some of the biggest, scariest monsters around. But he has yet to conquer his very own live-screen television series. Until now. “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” takes place within the same shared universe established by 2014’s “Godzilla” and continued with 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island,” 2019’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” and centers on Monarch, the SHIELD-style secret agency that tracks monsters like Godzilla. “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” mostly runs on a pair of parallel tracks – a young woman (Anna Sawai) and her half-brother (Ren Watabe) search for answers in the immediate aftermath of the events of “Godzilla,” which has been nicknamed G-Day. It leads them to a mysterious ex-Monarch agent who knows specifics about their father played by Kurt Russell. On a second path, we watch as Monarch is formed, with a younger version of the Russell character (this time played by his real-life son Wyatt Russell). And, sure, there might be a detour or two to another part of the monster-filled timeline, including during the events of “Kong: Skull Island” (complete with a brief supporting turn from John Goodman). This is the kind of large-scale, monster-filled, globe-trotting adventure that would have seemed impossible even a decade ago. But thanks to the storytelling and financial might of Apple and Legendary Pictures, Godzilla can come to life on the small screen. Until now, the big guy had only inspired two short-lived animated series, one in 1978 and the other in 1998 (that one a spin-off of the original attempt at Americanizing Godzilla with Matthew Broderick). You can feel that those involved with the new show can feel the importance of what they’re doing, even though the show itself is effortlessly thrilling. [[TRAILER](] Goosebumps Friday, November 17, Disney+ and Hulu Source: Disney+/Hulu Sure, spooky season might be over but “Goosebumps” has unfinished business. The better-than-it-had-any-right-to-be adaptation of R.L. Stine’s iconic book series, which was retrofitted into a generational mystery, closes out its stellar first season on Nov. 17. And chances are, even if you have the Christmas lights up already, you’ll still be scared silly. Boo! [[TRAILER](] Rustin Friday, November 17, Netflix Source: Netflix Bayard Rustin was a civil rights leader and one of the key architects of the March on Washington. And yet his role in the movement has been marginalized, perhaps because he was openly gay, maybe because at the time there were members of the movement uncomfortable with his outspokenness. But his story is about to be told, with Colman Domingo starring in the title role. His Rustin is prickly, for sure, but someone with a true mind for both the emotionality and the practicality of what he and the rest of the movement were trying to get done. (He had a somewhat difficult relationship with Martin Luther King Jr., played here by Aml Ameen.) It’s a rousing, true-life story, brought to life with wit and sophistication by director George C. Wolfe and screenwriters Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black. And if that wasn’t enough, do consider the all-star supporting cast that includes Chris Rock, CCH Pounder, Jeffrey Wright, Audra McDonald, Bill Irwin and Da'Vine Joy Randolph. There’s a reason Domingo is already amassing Oscar buzz. He's that good. [[TRAILER](] Albert Brooks: Defending My Life Saturday, November 11 at 8 p.m., HBO Source: HBO Albert Brooks is the subject of a feature-length documentary. It’s about damn time. Brooks, of course, is the Academy Award-nominated comedian and filmmaker behind modern classics like “Lost in America” and “Defending Your Life,” who also happens to be the actor who has turned in memorable work in movies like “Taxi Driver,” “Out of Sight,” “Drive” and, of course, “Finding Nemo.” This new film was directed by Rob Reiner and features archival materials mixed with new interviews with Sharon Stone, Larry David, James L Brooks, Conan O'Brien, Sarah Silverman and Jonah Hill. What more do you want? [[TRAILER](] Defending Your Life Max Source: Warner Bros. Albert Brooks has such an extensive body of work – from movies that he’s written and directed like “Real Life” and “Lost in America,” to those that he’s simply performed in (like “Broadcast News” or his menacing turn in “Drive”). And that’s to say nothing of his exemplary voice work, from multiple unforgettable roles on “The Simpsons” (and “The Simpsons Movie”) to, of course, his performance as worried dad Marlin in Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” and “Finding Dory.” (Fun fact: William H. Macy had been the original choice for Marlin and had even been recording his lines, before they brought Brooks in.) But if there’s one movie that you throw on after watching the documentary on Brooks’ career, it should probably be “Defending Your Life.” This movie, about a man who finds himself on trial after he dies to see if he’ll get reincarnated, is warm and funny and high concept in the best possible way. Brooks meets Meryl Streep in the afterlife and they fall in love. It’s all very beautiful. And it’s been incredibly inspirational – you can feel the DNA of the movie in things like Pixar’s “Soul” and in the celebrated sitcom “The Good Place.” It's that amazing. [[WATCH](] Source: Hulu “The Curse” Sunday, November 12 at 10 p.m., Showtime One of the must-watch shows of the fall, A24’s “The Curse” was created by Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie and stars Fielder, Safdie and Emma Stone. In the show Fielder and Stone play a married couple who also host an HGTV show, are trying to conceive a child and have also been cursed by some sinister energy. What the show even is – it has been described as a comedy, drama and horror show since being announced in 2020 – remains something of a mystery, even after several of the episodes were recently screened at the New York Film Festival. Cannot wait. [[TRAILER](] “A Murder at the End of the World” Tuesday, November 14, Hulu The latest brain twister from creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij (who were responsible for the beloved and deeply bizarre Netflix series “The OA”) stars Emma Corrin as an amateur detective invited to a retreat by a reclusive billionaire, along with several others. When one of them is murdered, Corrin is forced to figure out who did it – and who is next. A seemingly straightforward locked-door mystery, we’re guessing, given Marling and Batmanglij’s pedigree, there will be some extreme weirdness too. Clive Owen, Harris Dickinson and Joan Chen also star. [[TRAILER](] “The Crown” Thursday, November 16, Netflix The final season of Netflix’s celebrated royal drama is actually split into two halves. The first four episodes of the sixth season, all written by creator Peter Morgan, stream Nov. 16, while the final six episodes, which see Morgan take a more collaborative approach to the scripts (up until this point he had written the entire series almost singlehandedly), dropping on Dec. 14. Spend the holidays with the royals! (That sounds terrifying.) [[TRAILER](] “Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain” Friday, November 17, Peacock If you don’t know who Please Don’t Destroy are, don’t worry. They are a New York City-based comedy group consisting of Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy. They’re sort of like the next phase of The Lonely Island and, despite accusations of nepo baby favoritism (Higgins and Herlihy come from industry families), they are pretty funny and their first movie looks like a riot. It follows the three goofballs as they search for a hidden treasure. Conan O’Brien is in it and Judd Apatow produced. [[TRAILER](] “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” Friday, November 17, Netflix Few shows are better enjoyed knowing absolutely nothing about them beforehand. “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” is one of those shows. Here’s what we can say: it’s a loving reinvention of both the Bryan Lee O’Malley comic book (he co-wrote the new show) and the Edgar Wright adaptation (every actor from the Wright movie returns to voice their respective characters here, including big time stars like Brie Larson and Chris Evans). Whatever you’re thinking it might be … it’s not. And that’s part of the joy. Featuring beautiful animation and thoughtful writing, it also might be one of the year’s best shows. [[TRAILER](] 2034 Armacost Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Unsubscribe](